WIPOTEC's 30-year anniversary

Three Decades of Innovation

WIPOTEC Group in Kaiserslautern

From Spin-Off to Market Leader

When WIPOTEC GmbH was founded in Kaiserslautern in 1988, who would have thought that 30 years later more than 1000 employees were to work on machines and solutions, all based on the unique technology of a monolithic weigh cell?

Born from a bold idea and developed to maturity: it was far ahead of its time then and continuing to be so today.

The Company Founders’ Motto

„The secret of getting things done is to act.”

—Dante Alighieri, (1265 - 1321), Italian poet and philosopher

Before the foundation, at the end of the 80s

An exhibition stand of the University of Kaiserslautern at the end of the 1980s. Together with founders Theo Düppre and Udo Wagner, the University develops a letter scale with electronic postage calculation. The monoblock technology of the new weigh cell – exhibited on this booth -attracts a great deal of attention from the industry. A clear signal: WIPOTEC GmbH is founded - only a short time later - in 1988.

1988: WIPOTEC is founded

Kaiserslautern, 1988: Theo Düppre, Udo Wagner, and Haigis Waagenbau (Albstadt) establish WIPOTEC. Waiving subsidies, the company stands on its own feet right from the start. It all begins in rented premises at the Messeplatz. In the following years, the monoblock weigh cell forms the foundation of a portfolio of weighing and inspection solutions. Steadily, the former spin-off company transforms into a market leader with a global presence.

1993: Finding the Right Location

With the decision to select the terrain at Adam-Hoffmann-Strasse for their company headquarters, the foundation stone is laid for future expansions. Merely one year later, they launch their first series (serial) production, with its own mechanical design, the EC-S checkweigher. At this time, nobody knows that the 1,200 square meters of new building will turn into 43,000 square meters thirty years later. What is more, 30 employees will become 1,000 employees in 2018.

1996: The first patent. 1000 weigh cells

Foundation of the sales company "Optima Control Systems GmbH" with “OPTIMA packaging group GmbH”. Gaining first customers for checkweighers in the pharmaceutical industry. The United States Postal Service orders the very first continuous scales developed and manufactured by WIPOTEC. This year WIPOTEC breaks a new record by producing more than 1000 weigh cells for the first time. In 1996 WIPOTEC also receives its first patent for a conveyor belt, more precisely, for a weighing belt conveyor. Many more are to follow.

WIPOTEC STAFF

„The versatile tasks with global clients is what makes my job so interesting. Customer centricity is not just an empty phrase but is a part of the company culture.”

Jens Alder, Director Sales Mail & Logistics

WIPOTEC STAFF

„In software engineering we are given the flexibility to transfer market requirements to standard software. This is what motivates us and allows for quick results.”

René Elspaß, Software Engineering

1998: WIPOTEC Goes International

The first HC checkweigher is delivered in January. Checkweighers built for large corporations make sustainable entry into the pharmaceutical industry possible. In 1998, a sales subsidiary in the USA is founded by the future sales subsidiary OCS Checkweighers. Today, the largest affiliate abroad is the American office with 80 employees. The WIPOTEC Group is represented in many neighbouring European countries, but also in China, Mexico and Australia.

2000: 1000 checkweighers worldwide

The UK office is opened. More than 1000 checkweighers are delivered by September; these include the HC-TQ-CC pharmaceutical scale introduced the year before and a double-track scale with quadruple folding conveyor. By the end of the year, WIPOTEC breaks the over 100-employee threshold.

2002-2003: Lift Up. Now it's ten-lane

The Schwäbisch Hall sales subsidiary now trades under the name OCS Checkweighers GmbH. Their new logo goes life at the INTERPACK trade show. The new HC-IS checkweigher and the lift-up process for dynamic weighing of ‘lifted products’ will also be presented to the trade visitors. A ten-track checkweigher is developed for handling stickpacks, introduced to the public at the ACHEMA 2003 trade show.

2008: X-ray inspection and geothermal energy

Entry into X-ray inspection technology. The VLS-630, the world's fastest MID-approved letter scale, is built in Kaiserslautern. The completion of construction phase 5 significantly expands the headquarters; preparations for construction phases 6 and 7 are underway. The first geothermal drillings on the company site are the starting point for a "natural in-ground battery", WIPOTEC's ambitious project for the use of geothermal energy. It will serve as a signpost for many other companies with regard to the use of renewable energies.

2017: A new brand architecture

At the beginning of the year, the group of companies adopts a new corporate identity that focuses on the core brand WIPOTEC. The sales and service organisations WIPOTEC Weighing Technology and WIPOTEC-OCS are united under one roof at INTERPACK in Düsseldorf in May. It is the largest trade show appearance in their history. As a strongly growing "hidden champion", the WIPOTEC Group now serves customers in nine target industries worldwide.

2018: Academy ante portas

In a mere 30 years from spin-off to market leader! 30 years after its foundation, WIPOTEC establishes itself as a global manufacturer of industrial weighing and inspection solutions. The WIPOTEC Group now employs 1,000 people worldwide, 700 of them at its headquarters in Kaiserslautern. The 30th anniversary celebration takes place in Kaiserslautern's largest ballroom. With the construction of the WIPOTEC Academy - anticipated completion in 2019 - the covered area at the central production site will have expanded to 43,000 square metres.

WIPOTEC STAFF

„I am a technology enthusiast and get to develop innovative product inspection solutions for higher productivity and food safety. ”

Thorsten Götzmann, Business Development Manager X-Ray

WIPOTEC STAFF

„As a team we offer the customer valuable consultation in a win-win situation. Global key accounting focusses on strategic partnership which pays off in the long run.”